Until recently, I couldn’t say I had very much in common with Italian fashion designer Stefano Gabbana.
Naomi Campbell is not a close friend. I’ve never seen the inside of a yacht. And my wardrobe is distinctly more H&M than D&G. However, there is one thing, it seems, that I share with the Gabbana half of Dolce & Gabbana: our very discerning taste when it comes to our choice of cat.
No torn-eared, common moggie for Mr Gabbana. Oh no. Like me, he has opted for a pure pedigree, the British Shorthair, a gorgeous, blue-blooded, amber-eyed, darling of a feline, with fur like purest cashmere and the cutest, teddy bear face that was made for Instagram.
A British Shorthair kitten — they are also called British Blues as that was once the only colour you could get — can fetch anything up to £1,800 (pictured, Monty)
He introduced ‘the newest member of the #DGFamily’ — a blue kitten named Prince — to the world via his Instagram page last week.
So far, Prince has been papped with his scratching post, stretching out on a table for tummy rubs and caught napping on an ornate, red and gold Fornasetti tray, worth about £150.
Monty is the laziest cat in the country
Monique Halliwell, 44, is a project manager.
She lives in Longridge, Lancashire, with her husband and 18-year-old son — and Monty the cat.
Monty is too fat to jump over the fence or scale a wall. He’s scared of birds and will run away if one comes near him.
He would be absolutely useless at catching a mouse, he’d think it was far too much effort.
He must be the laziest cat in Britain. But, of course, we love him. We call him the ‘living toy’ because he never moves, like Bagpuss.
He simply lazes around — often sunbathing in the garden.
Many Blues are house cats and don’t venture outside, but Monty likes the sun. He also loves my son Alex and will often cuddle up with him in bed. A cat and a teenager who never want to get up!
Monty is named after Field Marshal Montgomery as his birthday is on Remembrance Day. He was six yesterday.
I wanted to buy this breed — he cost £600 — after I’d seen one on a McVitie’s Digestives advert. I liked their round faces and beautiful coats.
I’d heard about their calm, easy nature. I didn’t realise quite how calm they could be, though…
Like designer dogs before them, these are the ‘It’ cats. A British Shorthair kitten — they are also called British Blues as that was once the only colour you could get — can fetch anything up to £1,800, and you have to join a waiting list with a registered breeder.
Famous owners also include singer Sam Smith and actress Sadie Frost. Advertisers love them, too. British Shorthairs have modelled for everyone from Prada to Whiskas cat food.
They’re social media catnip, too: there are 3.6 million posts tagged #britishshorthair and are the most popular pedigree in the UK.
Unfortunately, this online deluge may be having unintended real-world consequences. ‘We do have concerns that people are choosing cats solely for the way they look, rather than for their temperament or personality,’ says Rob Young, head of catteries at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
‘We also think it’s leading to more impulse buying, people bringing in cats for rehoming are increasingly saying they bought them online. Meanwhile, black cats in particular are harder to rehome — and we think one reason is that they don’t show up so well in photographs.’
I confess to posting an obscene number of pictures of my two females, Saga and Birgitte. It would take a heart of stone not to coo over the Shorthair’s chubby, perfectly coiffed cheeks and their round, imploring eyes and slightly snub noses.
They’re sweet-natured, thick as clotted cream, and a lot of fun.
There’s none of the usual feline aloofness. In fact, I’d go so far as to say the British Shorthair’s true appeal is that, for a cat, they’re surprisingly un-catlike.
Calm, contented, and cuddly, they actively seek out and enjoy human company. Birgitte in particular, cries if she can’t work out where I am in the house.
They’re social media catnip, too: there are 3.6 million posts tagged #britishshorthair and are the most popular pedigree in the UK (pictured, Jennie Agg)
They’re sweet-natured, thick as clotted cream, a lot of fun and there’s none of the usual feline aloofness (pictured, Monique Halliwell with Monty)
The grey-bears, as we call them, came into our lives at the perfect time. My husband Dan and I picked them up from the breeder a fortnight after I miscarried a much-longed-for baby.
We’d put our names down for the cats before I knew I was pregnant, paying £450 each, and ironically, once we found out, we’d talked about changing our minds, after all how sensible was it to get two kittens a few months before bringing home a newborn?
Pandora’s favourite trick is playing fetch like a dog
Carla Malley lived in Skelmersdale, Lancashire with her cat Pandora
Carla Malley, 46, works in customer service. She is single and lives in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, with her 18-month old cat Pandora. She says:
I wanted a British Blue because I lived in an upstairs flat and thought it would be unfair to get a rescue cat that would want to go outdoors. Pandora loves her home comforts.
She’s very independent, but loyal. If I move from one room to another, she’ll follow me.
She sleeps on her back with her paws in the air, which is hilarious. I’ve never seen that in any of the cats I’ve owned.
Although she’s still young and has energetic, kittenish moments she’s quite lazy, too. I bought her for £650 when she was 13 weeks old. It’s a lot of money but I saved up because I knew I wanted this breed.
One of her tricks is playing fetch like a dog. She has a little stick toy with a feather on it and if you throw it she’ll bring it back — but only if she wants to play. Everything is on her terms.
I get so many comments about her, particularly about her amber eyes. Her coat is very dense, almost like velvet, and I brush it every day.
She sheds but I keep it under control.
I’d read this breed could be clumsy and didn’t believe it until I got one. She doesn’t like to jump on things and if she does, she’ll have a bit of a wobble at the top.
In the event, we were so grateful for the joy they brought, at a time when we were otherwise monosyllabic with sadness. A pet is no substitute for child — but it is hard to feel completely hopeless when there’s a kitten nuzzling into you.
There’s one area in which we do differ from the celebrity world, however.
Many British Shorthairs are so precious (and so dense), they inevitably end up house cats, we do, however, allow ours out —albeit under supervision.
They are too cowardly to stray beyond the back fence and would never deign to bring home a dead mouse.
Their appetites are definitely plus size and they are prone to putting on weight. Our two are veritable dustbins and will eat anything they can get their whiskers round when we’re not watching: curry, avocado, the crumbs from a plate of toast and marmalade, lettuce leaves.
The only other downside? Grey fluff shows up equally conspicuously on white and dark clothes. Something to bear in mind for next season, perhaps, Mr Gabbana.
Hugo loves company – and he herds my wife and I together
Benjamin Howe, 35, a business owner, lives with wife Emily, 37, a writer, and their cat Hugo in South London. Ben says:
Hugo is the closest thing to having a dog, without having a dog. He’s friendly, companionable and wants to know where my wife and I are at all times.
If we’re in separate rooms, he’ll try to herd us together like a sheepdog. He’ll wait for me outside the bathroom and then nudge me in the direction of where Emily is sitting.
Benjamin Howe, 35, a business owner, lives with wife Emily, 37, a writer, and their cat Hugo in South London
I did a bit of research and found that British Blue Shorthair cats were the first breed to be show cats. That first show took place in Crystal Palace in South London. As we live in that area, it seemed a good reason to buy one!
We found a breeder in Kent and paid £800 for Hugo. He’s now 18 months- old. He’s greedy and we have to ensure we don’t feed him too much. He sits at my feet when I’m eating, hoping something will fall from my plate.
He’s allowed outside but never ventures very far.
It was Emily’s idea to start up an Instagram account. It’s called @onemanand hiscat.
I’ve only got a few followers but enjoy seeing people’s reactions.
They stay indoors so the sun doesn’t spoil their coat
Joan Farrell, 51, an IT specialist lives in Astley, Greater Manchester, with her four cats Macy, Ruby, Dotty and Lady Luck
Joan Farrell, 51, an IT specialist lives in Astley, Greater Manchester, with her four cats Macy, Ruby, Dotty and Lady Luck — and four kittens.
As a companion cat, British Blues are amazing. Every night when I come in from work, my cats will come to greet me. If I’m working from home, they’ll sit next to me while I’m at my computer. They’re very laid back, don’t need much grooming and are no fuss.
I have four adults and also four kittens (one called Woody is pictured) which I’ve bred to sell on. I’ll be keeping one of them. I have been breeding for about five years. I sell the kittens for around £650.
Other breeders, particularly in London can charge up to £900. If someone has brought a new cat in from Russia or Eastern Europe to ‘refresh the breeding line’ they can charge around £1,800.
I love the colour. They can be anything from the palest grey blue to the darkest blue. But it’s their gorgeous copper eyes like autumn leaves that I find most beautiful.
As house cats they prefer to be indoors although I have a cat run if they ever want to escape on a really hot day. But if they stay out too long, the sun can brown their coats.